By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

ABUJA — The Auditor-General of the Federation, AuGF, has queried the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, for failing to include the four per cent cost of collection it receives in its financial statements in the last six years.

The four per cent cost of collection is the FIRS’ source of revenue through which it funds its operations.

That the AuGF has consistently queried the tax organization was disclosed when the Senate Public Accounts Committee visited the FIRS, in Abuja, yesterday.

Senator Andy Uba, who is the Chairman of the Committee, had asked the Chairman of the FIRS, Mr. Tunde Fowler, why the organization had not responded to the queries.

His words:  “We are just coming from the AuGF’s (Accountant-General of the Federation) office and while we were there, there is a question I asked the Accountant-General and he said it is on record that four per cent cost of collection enjoyed by the FIRS had not been included in the financial statements of FIRS since 2010, despite Auditor-General’s persistent queries.

“There are queries that the Auditor-General has sent to you with regards to the four per cent. They said they have had a meeting with your organisation and you are saying you will look into it and get back to them.”

In his response, Fowler told the legislators that the AuGF must have acted due to inadequate information, as according to him, the four per cent cost of collection is backed by law.

The FIRS Chairman said: “I am sure there must be some form of breakdown in communication because by law, we are entitled to four per of our revenue generation which we receive as cost of collection.

“By law, the four per cent is part of the revenue we generated and that is given to us monthly at the same time that FAAC is held and so it’s automatic.”

Fowler said his team would undertake a high-level tax drive in the country that would double the tax payers base to, at least, one million at the end of March and raise at least 50 per cent of the Federal Government 2016 budgeted revenue.